EATxNE Food Festival Tastings (and Recipes)

By David Morgan

Slow Food Vermont is thrilled to attend the EatxNE food festival at Burlington’s Oakledge Park on September 20 and 21! EatxNE is a celebration of Vermont food and a fundraiser for local food organizations. This event will feature edibles from some of Vermont’s best and most authentic farmers, chefs and food and beverage producers as well as live music and over 30 free seminars.

On Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21 from 10:00AM to 5:00PM Slow Food Vermont will hold tastings at its booth in the EatxNE non-profit village. The theme for Saturday’s tasting is Lesser Known Vermont-grown Produce. At this tasting, event-goers will have the opportunity to discover unusual and delicious fruits and vegetables that can be grown here in the Green Mountain State. The items to be featured are the tomatillo, ground cherry, kohlrabi, mouse melon, parsley root and cardoon. Below are recipes for each of these items.

The Slow Food Vermont tasting on Sunday will showcase Artisanal Cheeses. Please stop by the booth to sample some of the world class creamy creations that Vermont has become famous for.

Add squash to opposite side of pan and roast, stirring and turning squash over halfway through roasting, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes total (after squash is added).

Toss vegetables to combine and transfer to a dish. Serves 4.

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Mouse Melon Cornichons

Ingredients

· 1/8 cup canning salt

· 1 cup water

· 1 cup white wine vinegar

· 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

· 1/2 teaspoon pickling spices

· 2 sprigs tarragon

· 2 cloves garlic, sliced in half

· 2/3 cup mouse melons, blossom end scraped off with your nail

Heat salt, water, and wine vinegar to a boil in a nonreactive saucepan. It will make too much brine, so use the rest for quick pickled cucumbers or cauliflower or peppers. Remove from heat. To your jar, add the mustard seeds, pickling spices, tarragon, and garlic, then add the mouse melons. Top with hot brine and seal. Let cool on the counter, then refrigerate. Serve with sliced meats or cheeses. Makes 1 half-pint.

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Lentil Soup with Parsley Root and Carrots

Ingredients

· 1 lb Dried lentils, washed and drained

· 1/4 cup lard, bacon drippings, or oil

· 2 medium onions or leeks, chopped

· 1 parsley root or parsnip, chopped

· 2 medium carrots, sliced

· 1 cup sliced fennel or celery

· 8 cups water

· 1 tsp salt to or to taste

· Crushed black pepper to taste

· 2 Whole cloves

· 2 Bay leaves

· 1 large potato, peeled and grated

· 2 large links (or 4 small) smoked sausage, skin pricked-with fork

· 2 tbsp good vinegar

In a large pot, heat fat and add carrots, root vegetable and onions. Saute until onions are golden. Add lentils, water, celery, and seasonings. Grate the potato into the mixture and add sausage. Simmer covered 1 hour until lentils and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves. Add vinegar just before serving and adjust salt. Serve with a crusty bread and salad. Serves 4-6

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Cardoon Gratin

Ingredients

· 3 c cream

· 1 c chicken stock

· 1 bay leaf

· 3 lb cardoon

· 1 c gruyere, grated

Put the cream, stock, and bay leaf in a large saucepan and season with salt and pepper.Trim your cardoons, then slice them into pieces around 2 inches long, immediately dropping them into the cream bath to prevent discoloring.

Heat the cardoons until the cream comes to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for about an hour. Remove the cardoon pieces with a slotted spoon, putting them into a gratin/casserole dish and continue to boil the cream until reduced to 3/4 c.

Pour the cream over the cardoons, top with the gruyere, and bake at 350 until the top has colored a little bit, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.